Head of Team Jung Eun-Chae suspects Yoo Seungho is a serial killer, and ratings once again hit a new series high.
SBS 'Flex x Cop 2' Ahn Bo-hyun was greatly shocked by Jung Eun-Chae's confession naming Yoo Seungho as the serial killer.
On the 29th, the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Flex x Cop 2' (produced by Studio S, Big Ocean ENM, BA Entertainment) saw Jin I-soo (played by Ahn Bo-hyun) and Joo Hye-ra (played by Jung Eun-Chae) thoroughly uncover the truth behind the magician's death on stage, while mysteries surrounding Yoo Seong-won (played by Yoo Seungho) began to be revealed, heightening the tension. At the same time, episode 8 of 'Flex x Cop 2' achieved new series-high ratings with a peak of 9.3%, 8.0% in the metropolitan area, 7.9% nationwide, and a record high in the 2049 demographic.
Especially in the 2049 rating, a key metric for channel competitiveness, buzz and advertisers, the show averaged 2.7% with an instantaneous peak of 3.26%, not only beating all competing programs in the same time slot but also topping all programs across terrestrial, cable and generalist channels aired on Saturday, proving its appeal to the target audience and its dominant buzz and trend status.
The broadcast opened with Jin I-soo tracking the mysterious murder that occurred during magician Park Jae-ha's (played by Son Woo-hyun) escape act, confronting the prime suspect, gangster boss Ham Seong-uk (played by Heo Sung-tae), at a private shooting club. Jin I-soo provoked Ham Seong-uk by proposing a shooting bet for control of the club and a testimony, and after a tense standoff he claimed victory. When Joo Hye-ra arrived late, Jin I-soo bragged slyly, "I had him sit at the table. Good, right?" and Joo Hye-ra replied, "Yeah, well done. Cheat code acknowledged!" Their playful back-and-forth chemistry brought smiles to viewers.
With Ham Seong-uk's testimony the case entered a new phase. He admitted he was furious that his daughter Ham Soo-jung (played by Jung Chaeyeon), whom he adored, had been deceived by Park Jae-ha and that he had indeed kidnapped and threatened him. But he said he had no intention to kill and that he had agreed to Park Jae-ha's request to let him perform his final show. At one point Ham Soo-jung, who had mistakenly believed her father killed Park Jae-ha, arrived and pointed a gun in a dramatic moment, but Ham Seong-uk calmed her and left. Watching this, Joo Hye-ra deduced, "If it were Ham Seong-uk, he would have handled it quietly," and Jin I-soo agreed, saying, "The key point is that he died on a stage seen by many people," removing Ham Seong-uk from the list of suspects.
Back to square one, Violent Crimes Team 1 began investigating three women who could have handled the magic device and twin brother Park Jae-hyung (played by Son Woo-hyun), and discovered that Park Jae-hyung was a terminal cancer patient. Then, a major twist came when a wooden panel found at the scene stained with kerosene and the National Forensic Service autopsy that concluded "the body was already dead before being burned" were revealed. The truth of the case was Park Jae-ha's elaborate staged act aimed at completely wiping his identity. He had placed the already-deceased Park Jae-hyung's body in a coffin, set it on fire, and attempted to flee overseas while impersonating his brother.
Violent Crimes Team 1 tried to find physical evidence proving that the living Park Jae-hyung was actually Park Jae-ha, but they hit a dead end because fingerprinting was impossible due to burns. To obtain a confession, Jin I-soo launched an extraordinary operation. He mobilized his film production company to pose as a fictional special virus control team (ISCG) and terrorized Park Jae-ha with threats, saying, "A deadly contagious virus was detected in Mr. Park Jae-hyung's blood. To protect humanity we must kill the virus itself and burn this place," pressuring him with the fear of death. Ultimately, a terrified Park Jae-ha leapt up from his wheelchair and shouted, "I am Park Jae-ha!" thereby revealing his identity and enabling a satisfying arrest that felt like one of Jin I-soo's shows.
At the end of the broadcast, a huge mystery surrounding Yoo Seong-won rose to the surface. The mother, Jung Tae-seon, chairman of media group UBS (played by Kim Hye-eun), pressured Yoo Seong-won to cancel his exhibition and return to Britain. Yoo Seong-won flashed a meaningful smile and said, "What should I do? I can't get back into Britain," then ominously asked, "Mom killed dad, so who did I kill?" raising the tension to a peak.
Meanwhile, as they began to acknowledge each other's investigative skills, Jin I-soo and Joo Hye-ra grew closer during a private drinking session. Jin I-soo promised to be Joo Hye-ra's strong ally, saying, "Team leader Joo, just use me. I'll do anything. I'm the investigation's cheat code." Joo Hye-ra then revealed the real reason she left the counterterrorism team and returned to Gangha-seo. She began by saying that four years ago two of Yoo Seong-won's models and one of her junior police colleagues went missing, and then declared confidently, "I think Yoo Seong-won killed them." When she mentioned that Yoo Seong-won's models had recently gone missing in Britain as well, Jin I-soo was visibly shocked and unsettled.
In the ending, Yoo Seong-won, who went to a bar alone, made a significant offer to bartender Song Ah-reum (played by Lee Sae-rom), asking, "Will you be my model?" which heightened curiosity about Yoo Seong-won's true identity and the truth behind the series of disappearances.
Episode 8 of 'Flex x Cop 2' captivated viewers without pause, from Jin I-soo and Joo Hye-ra becoming solid cooperative partners to the startling truth behind the magician's death and the chilling mysteries surrounding Yoo Seong-won. In particular, the powerful performances by special-appearance actors Son Woo-hyun, Heo Sung-tae and Jung Chaeyeon and the unpredictable twists immediately raised the drama's immersion. After the broadcast, online communities and social media reacted enthusiastically with comments such as "The mix of comedy, mystery and thriller really hits my taste hard," "Jin I-soo's instincts are good and he's sincere in his investigations; he keeps doing admirable things," "Joo Hye-ra finally came to trust Jin I-soo as a detective. I'm excited to see their future cooperation," "Now that Jin I-soo sets the stage, he even acts naturally. He's fully become Jin I-soo," "Watching the mystery makes me overinvested and it's so fun," "Yoo Seungho's acting is fierce. To show such chill from that kind face," and "The acting of special-appearance actors Heo Sung-tae and Jung Chaeyeon is really good. Immersion goes up," among many heated responses.
Meanwhile, Flex x Cop 2 recorded 6.7% in episode 7, but rose to 7.9% in episode 8, a sharp increase of 1.2 percentage points. After the broadcast set a new peak rating, the show gained real momentum and attracted more attention.<
[Photo] SBS 'Flex x Cop 2'
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